Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The human race is a dominating and growing group. Our numbers just continue to increase and so we expect and need our sources of survival to increase, too. This mainly includes our food sources. A demand for food is always rising and surprisingly they are quickly met. Well, how is that so?

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Industrial AgricultureIndustrial agriculture has become the dominant way of producing food. It is modern farming where genetic technology is used to produce large amounts of food but it has little concerns for the environment, animal welfare or food safety. It involves the help of machinery, chemicals and genetic technologies to produce the food that we eat. This method is very destructive, but the production is cheap. The organisms are fed chemicals and antibiotics to induce maturity to quicken their development. Thus, they are likely to carry diseases. Also, the production causes pollution, health hazards and can possibly lead to extinction. Although, it means cheap and plentiful food, it also means extinction, reduction in genetic diversity, and likely to be hazardous to you.

Sustainable AgricultureSustainable agriculture is the ethical and moral way of producing food. It is both philosophy and a system of farming. This method works with natural processes to minimize waste and conserve resources, while maintaining and improving farming profitability. Sustainable agriculture uses existing resources to produce uncontaminated and nutritious food, while preserving the environment. This system has become a second choice because industrial agriculture meets the population’s demand quicker and is cheaper. But is industrial produce really cheaper than sustainable produce. From the statistics of animals slaughtered and disruptions in the environment from industrial agriculture, it seems that organic food is the better buy.

BiodiversityIndustrial agriculture mass produces the organisms that are in high demand quickly. Thus, those organisms are highly productive livestock breeds and crop varieties. The continuous production of these animals reduces the genetic diversity. As these animals become our daily meals, the others that are less productive become endangered and then extinct. Also, once an organism from a food chain is extinct the other organisms within the food chain will become extinct, not long after. The biodiversity on Earth is depleting.

Industrial agriculture has caused more than enough problems on Earth. It has pushed animals into extinction and has spread many diseases and hazards, itself. Furthermore, sustainable agriculture should be regarded as the number one method to produce food. The production is in harmony with nature. Moreover, our food sources would be healthier and clean if most of our produce comes from sustainable farm. Cost or Life?